Crimean War - Battle of the Chernaya River, 16 August 1855

Battle of the Chernaya River was the final and the bloodiest battle of the Crimean War. The battle was fought between Russian troops and a coalition of French, Sardinian and Ottoman troops. Tsar Alexander II had ordered his new Crimean commander in chief, Prince Michael Gorchakov, to attack the besieging forces before they were reinforced further. The Tsar hoped that by gaining a victory, he could force a more favourable resolution to the conflict.

Miscommunication of the Russian officers, incompetent commands and luck of experienced soldiers turned this battle into a bloody massacre. Disorganized and poorly armed Russians infantry were sent to cross the river and capture the heights without any cavalry or artillery support. There were 9 000 Russian casualties in this battle instead of 2 000 allies. Despite of being outnumbered by Russian almost three times (18 000 / 58 000), French, Sardinian and Ottoman troops fought bravery and co-ordinately so they managed to drive Russians back and won the battle.